1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medication containers and dispensers. More specifically, the present invention relates to a monthly calendar holder having several multicompartment pill containers, one for each day of the month, for easy identification of the last daily dose taken and, accordingly, the next daily dose to be taken. 2. Prior Art
Pharmaceutical pills commonly are provided in single compartment bottles with instructions as to the daily dosage (amount and frequency). Even when the same dosage applies over a long period, it is not uncommon for a patient to forget to take a pill or to forget whether or not a pill was taken at the appropriate time.
Hollingsworth et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,273, issued Apr. 10, 1979, discloses a "Medicine Management Device" in the form of a pegboard with color-coded pegs to indicate the time of day that each of a plurality of different medications is to be taken but does not assist the patient in remembering whether or not the medication was taken at the appropriate time.
Each of the following U.S. Pat. Nos. discloses a multicompartment container/dispenser and these general types of devices are useful because the appropriate compartment may be checked to see whether or not the last dose was taken:
Katz U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,010, issued Oct. 11, 1966; PA1 Messer U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,580, issued Mar. 4, 1986; PA1 Cappuccilli U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,080, issued Aug. 2, 1977; PA1 Inacker U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,955, issued Nov. 28, 1972; PA1 Conover U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,603, issued Feb. 1, 1972; PA1 Wawracz U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,806, issued Nov. 25, 1975; PA1 Will U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,819, issued June 10, 1986. PA1 Dubbels U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,322, issued Feb. 10, 1970; PA1 Nuckols et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,468, issued Aug. 13, 1985; PA1 Sharp, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,324,995, issued June 13, 1967; PA1 Gill U.S. Pat. No. 3,450,306, issued June 17, 1969; PA1 Huok U.S. Pat. No. 3,385,421, issued May 28, 1968; PA1 Gordon U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,557, issued Oct. 14, 1986.
Of the above patents, it is believed that Katz U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,010 is somewhat more pertinent to the present invention because it incorporates a calendar.
Another approach has been to provide pharmaceutical pills in a blister pack sheet or strip with each pill compartment labeled for identification of the appropriate day for taking the pill or designed for use with a container/dispenser having such an identification, as described in the following Pat. Nos.: